Brussels, Belgium—The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) welcomed the European Parliament’s vote in favour of the proposed Single European Sky regulations this week.

In its plenary sitting in Strasbourg, France, the Parliament voted to amend a proposal put forward by the European Commission, dubbed the “SES II+” package. The package contains specific language that stresses the need for the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to be able to respond to the market demand for certification activities.

GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce said the legislative language proposed by Italian MEP David-Maria Sassoli signals the need for EASA to have appropriate staffing levels to conduct its certification tasks efficiently according to market demands. “Manufacturers worldwide need authorities to be staffed appropriately, so as not to risk delaying the availability of new safety-enhancing technologies on the market,” Bunce noted. “We support an agency that is neither overly bureaucratic nor stretched too thinly to meet its responsibilities. This week’s vote is by the European Parliament sends a strong message of support for this approach.”

The SES II+ package, which aims to energize the Single European Sky project, was adopted this week by a strong majority of Parliament. It is now the turn of EU Member States to consider the proposal, before negotiations can begin on a compromise with the new European Parliament, which will be elected in May.